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Artist Discussions

Artist Discussion with J. Jordan Bruns

By April 18, 2023December 23rd, 2023No Comments
Click to Join the Zoom Meeting - Starts on April 27, 2023 at 7:00pm

Meeting ID: 862 9865 5393
Passcode: 970974

Virtual Artist Talk: Thursday, April 27, 7 pm (Zoom)

Join us for a discussion of the work on exhibit till April 30th at the Pop Corn Gallery at Glen Echo Park.  The meeting is hosted by Ama Mills Roberson in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture.  Works in this exhibition are in part sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council.

About the Exhibit Playing with Reality: 15 Years at Glen Echo Park

Paintings featured in this exhibition vary in their degree of realism.  The abstract paintings have an incredibly loose grasp on realism as the dimensions created defy gravity and laws of nature.  The portraits and landscapes are more loosely representational, creating mood and personality through their respective mediums.  The still life paintings are high realism, bordering “trompe l’oeil”, using oil painting techniques.

My portraits are created in the alla prima style in which one quick sitting completes the image.  This work challenges the painter to be intentional in the use of the paint in order to quickly render a realistic scene without editing.

The ink washes depict landscapes where the focal point is painted with careful detail while other areas are bathed in what I consider “atmosphere” and only suggested.  In this way, the ink washes are reminiscent of a faded photograph or a vivid memory.

The still life paintings are uniquely attached to the subject matter the artist is observing to make the painting in a sort of diorama.  The palette that was used to mix the paint is also attached, altogether making these works “assemblages”.  I hope to show the viewer the subject, the painting, and the deconstructed painting (the pallet) all in one piece to demonstrate the artistic process more fully. Viewers of art typically only see the final product.  Observational painters often benefit from the subject matter never being seen by their audience, allowing the viewer to fill in the gaps with their imaginations where the painter didn’t give all the information.  Yet when the subject is exhibited alongside the painting, the expectations for the painting change.  The art becomes about the painter’s ability and skill to interpret the subject rather than the actual completed painting.